Here are drawn up Harry Benson's Battery A, of the Second United States
Artillery, and Horatio Gates Gibson's Batteries C and G, combined of the
Third United States Artillery, near Fair Oaks, Virginia. They arrived
there just too late to take part in the battle of June, 1862. By "horse
artillery," or "flying artillery" as it is sometimes called, is meant an
organization equipped usually with 10-pounder rifled guns, with all hands
mounted. In ordinary light artillery the cannoneers either ride on the
gun-carriage or go afoot. In "flying artillery" each cannoneer has a
horse. This form is by far the most mobile of all, and is best suited to
accompany cavalry on account of its ability to travel rapidly. With the
exception of the method of mounting the cannoneers, there was not any
difference between the classes of field batteries except as they were
divided between "light" and "heavy." In the photograph above no one is
riding on the gun-carriages, but all have separate mounts. Battery A of
the Second United States Artillery was in Washington in January, 1861, and
took part in the expedition for the relief of Fort Pickens, Florida. It
went to the Peninsula, fought at Mechanicsville May 23-24, 1862, and took
part in the Seven Days' battles before Richmond June 25th to July 1st.
Batteries C and G of the Third United States Artillery were at San
Francisco, California, till October 1861, when they came East, and also
went to the Peninsula and served at Yorktown and in the Seven Days.